Biodiversity
By Barbara Taylor
"Planet Animal" showcases some of the world's best-loved animals that are now at risk due to hunting, habitat destruction, and more recently, climate change. Featuring a host of animals, from polar bears, to elephants and albatrosses, this book uses a new, dynamic format and sumptuous photographs, to explore each animal in the context of its habitat. Quick reference fact boxes explain clearly the reasons why the animals are threatened, how many are left, and what is being done to help them. More
By James Maclaurin, Kim Sterelny
In the life sciences, there is wide-ranging debate about biodiversity. While nearly everyone is in favor of biodiversity and its conservation, methods for its assessment vary enormously. So what exactly is biodiversity? Most theoretical work on the subject assumes it has something to do with species richness—with the number of species in a particular region—but in reality, it is much more than that. Arguing that we cannot make rational decisions about what it is to be protected without knowing what biodiversity is, James Maclaurin and Kim Sterelny offer in What Is Biodiversity? a theoretical and conceptual exploration of the biological world and how diversity is valued.
Here, Maclaurin and Sterelny explore not only the origins of the concept of biodiversity, but also how that concept has been shaped by ecology and more recently by conservation biology. They explain the different types of biodiversity important in evolutionary theory, developmental biology, ecology, morphology and taxonomy and conclude that biological heritage is rich in not just one biodiversity but many. Maclaurin and Sterelny also explore the case for the conservation of these biodiversities using option value theory, a tool borrowed from economics.
An erudite, provocative, timely, and creative attempt to answer a fundamental question, What Is Biodiversity? will become a foundational text in the life sciences and studies thereof. More
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By Thomas E. Lovejoy, Lee Hannah
Leading researchers discuss what is now known about the effects of climate change on the natural world. They examine recent trends in and projections about climate change; ways that particular organisms are responding to climate change; conservation challenges, including social and policy issues; and more.
"This book will be a milestone in the emerging discipline of climate change biology. No issue is more important for the global environment; the impressive line-up of experts here gives it definitive coverage."--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University
"A well-written treatise on the past, present, and future effects of climate change on plant and animal biodiversity. . . . It is destined to become a classic."--"Choice". More
A dazzlingly illustrated and child-friendly introduction to biodiversity, "Tree of Life" shows how living things are classified into five kingdoms--and how each has much to tell us about all aspects of life on the planet. Full color.
By Rochelle Strauss, Margot Thompson
If every known species on Earth were a leaf on a tree, that tree would have 1750000 leaves. Since humans count for just one leaf on the tree, we have a lot to learn about the millions of other forms of life with which we share the world. A dazzlingly illustrated and child-friendly introduction to biodiversity, Tree of Life shows how living things are classified into five kingdoms--and how each has much in tell us about all aspects of life on our planet. Every living thing is descended from ancient bacteria. One of the largest forms of life, the whale shark, depends on one of the smallest, plankton. There are more known species of beetles than any other group of animals. More
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By Robert G. Foottit (Edited by), Peter H. Adler (Edited by)
"Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society" brings together leading scientific experts to assess the impact insects have on humankind and the earth's fragile ecosystems. It examines why insect biodiversity matters and how the rapid evolution of insect species is affecting us all. Insects and related arthropods make up more than 50 per cent of the known animal diversity globally, yet a lack of knowledge about insects is hindering the advance of science and society. This book explores the wide variety in type and number of insect species and their evolutionary relationships. Case studies offer assessments on how insect biodiversity can help meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population, and also examine the consequences that an increased loss of insect species will have on the world. The book concludes that a better understanding of the biology and ecology of insects is the only way to sustainably manage ecosystems in an ever changing global environment. More
By Eric Chivian, Aaron Bernstein, Edward O. Wilson
The Earth's biodiversity-the rich variety of life on our planet-is disappearing at an alarming rate. And while many books have focused on the expected ecological consequences, or on the aesthetic, ethical, sociological, or economic dimensions of this loss, Sustaining Life is the first book to examine the full range of potential threats that diminishing biodiversity poses to human health.
Edited and written by Harvard Medical School physicians Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, along with more than 100 leading scientists who contributed to writing and reviewing the book, Sustaining Life presents a comprehensive--and sobering--view of how human medicines, biomedical research, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the production of food, both on land and in the oceans, depend on biodiversity. The book's ten chapters cover everything from what biodiversity is and how human activity threatens it to how we as individuals can help conserve the world's richly varied biota. Seven groups of organisms, some of the most endangered on Earth, provide detailed case studies to illustrate the contributions they have already made to human medicine, and those they are expected to make if we do not drive them to extinction. Drawing on the latest research, but written in language a general reader can easily follow, Sustaining Life argues that we can no longer see ourselves as separate from the natural world, nor assume that we will not be harmed by its alteration. Our health, as the authors so vividly show, depends on the health of other species and on the vitality of natural ecosystems.
With a foreword by E.O. Wilson and a prologue by Kofi Annan, and more than 200 poignant color illustrations, Sustaining Life contributes essential perspective to the debate over how humans affect biodiversity and a compelling demonstration of the human health costs.
By Elliott A. Norse, Larry B. Crowder,Conservation Biology Institute Marine
Humans are terrestrial animals, and our capacity to see and understand the importance and vulnerability of life in the sea has trailed our growing ability to harm it. While conservation biologists are working to address environmental problems humans have created on land, loss of marine biodiversity, including extinctions and habitat degradation, has received much less attention. At the same time, marine sciences such as oceanography and fisheries biology have largely ignored issues of conservation.
Marine Conservation Biology brings together for the first time in a single volume leading experts from around the world to apply the lessons and thinking of conservation biology to marine issues. More
By Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, William Allen Munoz, William Munoz
A photo essay demonstrating the concept of biodiversity, a term used to encompass the many forms of life on Earth and their interdependence on one another for survival. The reader not only gets a firm grasp of what biodiversity is, but also an explanation of why it is important to maintain. More
About the Author
Dorothy Hinshaw Patent was born in Minnesota and grew up in Marin County, California. She received a BA in biological sciences from Stanford University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Patent holds a Ph.D. in zoology and is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, many of which have been selected as Outstanding Science Trade Books for children. In 1987, she received the Eva L. Gordon Award from the American Nature Study Society in recognition of her outstanding contribution to science literature for young readers. She has collaborated on several award-winning books with photographer William Muñoz. Dr. Patent lives in Missoula, Montana, with her husband.
Children's book photo-illustrator William Muñoz was born on January 12th. When he graduated from high school, his parents gave him a camera ... fourteen years later he became a full-time photographer when his wife, Sandy, encouraged him to give it a go. Mr. Muñoz graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in history. He has provided photographs for more than 80 books, many of them for Dorothy Patent Hinshaw. Mr. Muñoz recognizes the need for his work to spark a child's imagination. "It is the 'wonder' of the world of nature that I feel and attempt to capture on film and share. Our imagination is a precious gift that allows us to soar."
By Tim R. New
Insects are the most diverse and abundant animals that share our world, and conservation initiatives are increasingly needed and being implemented globally, to safe guard the wealth of individual species. This book provides sufficient background information, illustrated by examples from many parts of the world, to enable more confident and efficient progress towards the conservation of these ecologicallyindispensable animals. Writing for graduate students, academic researchers and professionals, Tim New describes the major ingredients for insect species management and conservation, and how these may be integrated into effective practical management and recovery plans. More
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In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave
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